THE EIFFEL TOWER

Built-in 1889, the Eiffel Tower defines the Paris skyline and is one of the most visited monuments in the world. Gustave Eiffel’s indelible tower is an icon of France and symbolizes the magic of Paris to romantics around the world. The tower has three levels open to visitors, but if you have a head for heights there’s nothing like the views from the top overlooking Paris! Don’t forget to book ahead to save waiting in line!

LOUVRE MUSEUM

CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME

A visit to Paris is not complete without seeing the Gothic masterpiece Notre-Dame, one of the most important cathedrals in the world. Even if you’ve visited many times, the soaring nave and stained glass windows of the cathedral never fail to enchant. Climb the bell tower for a close-up look at the famous gargoyles and a beautiful view over the center of Paris.

PRADO MUSEUM

The Museo del Prado is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Madrid. The 18th century structure designed by architect Juan de Villanueva houses one of the world’s finest art collections. A 2007 expansion has made the famed museum easier to navigate. With more than 7,000 works of art representing culture and history from the 12th century to the early 19th century, however, it’s impossible to see everything in a single visit.

PALAZO REAL

The massive size of the Palacio Real is its most imposing feature. Madrid’s Royal Palace boasts more than 2,500 ornately decorated rooms. Built in 1764, the palace served as the royal residence beginning with Carlos III. The last royals to reside there were Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenie in the early 1900s.

CATHEDRAL OF SEGOVIA

Segovia is a town in central parts of Spain and to the northern parts of Madrid. The whole of Spain is basically characterized by religious groups with the vast majority being of the Catholic denomination.

The Segovia Cathedral was initially built by the use of the Gothic style that is presently outdated in the whole of Europe.

SAGRADA FAMILIA

One of Europe’s most unconventional churches, this spectacular basilica is the most famous sight in Barcelona. The UNESCO-listed Basilica de la Sagrada Familia stands in the northern part of the city, dominating its surroundings with its 18 spindly towers soaring high above all other monuments. The Basilica of the Sacred Family is also known in Spanish by its official name: Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. europe travel Tickets

PARK GUELL

Colorful, cheerful, and full of whimsy, this splendid surrealistic park is another UNESCO World Heritage Site designed by Antoni Gaudí. Created between 1900 and 1914, the Park Güell is beautifully landscaped and features architectural elements in Gaudí’s signature style. Viaducts, grottoes, a colonnaded hall, winding staircases, and semi-closed conversation seats are scattered throughout the space. These creative structures are decorated in multicolored ceramic fragments.

CASA MILA

In the Eixample district off the elegant boulevard of Passeig de Gràcia, the UNESCO-listed Casa Milà is Antoni Gaudí’s most famous secular building. Casa Mila is also affectionately known as “La Pedrera,” which translates to “The Stone Quarry” because the building resembles an open quarry. Built between 1906 and 1912, this flamboyant avant-garde dwelling looks more like a sculpture than a functional building.

ALCAZAR

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Real Alcázar was originally the medieval fortress of Moorish rulers and later of the Christian kings. The palace was built in the 10th century for Moorish rulers. In the 11th century, it was governed by the legendary Moorish ruler and poet al-Mutamid. After the Christian Reconquest in the 1360s, Moorish architects created the Mudéjar-style buildings for King Pedro the Cruel.

CATHEDRAL

Seville Cathedral is the largest Gothic cathedral in Christendom, unmatched in its impressive scale and abundance of art treasures. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this incomparable monument was constructed between 1402 and 1506 on the site of the town’s principal mosque.

RONDA

Surrounded by lush river valleys and sitting above a deep ravine, it is a place that literally takes your breath away when seeing it.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to visit Ronda will understand its appeal. It is one of the most beautiful and visited cities in Spain (the third most visited city in Andalucia) and a very popular day trip for people on a Costa del Sol holiday.

COLOSSEUM

As the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, the silhouette of the Flavian Amphitheatre is to Rome. The largest structure left to us by Roman antiquity, the Colosseum still provides the model for sports arenas – present day football stadium design is clearly based on this oval Roman plan. The building was begun by Vespasian in AD 72, and after his son Titus enlarged it by adding the fourth story, it was inaugurated in the year AD 80 with a series of splendid games.

ST. PETER’S BASILICA

The Vatican is the smallest independent state in the world, with an area of less than half a square kilometer, most of it enclosed by the Vatican walls. Inside are the Vatican palace and gardens, St. Peter’s Basilica, and St. Peter’s Square, an area ruled by the Pope, supreme head of the Roman Catholic Church. This compact space offers much for tourists to see, between its museums and the great basilica itself.

THE PANTEON

The Pantheon – the best preserved monument of Roman antiquity – is remarkably intact for its 2000 years. This is despite the fact that Pope Gregory III removed the gilded bronze roof tiles, and Pope Urban VIII ordered its bronze roof stripped and melted down to cast the canopy over the altar in St. Peter’s and cannons for Castel Sant’Angelo.

VAN GOGH MUSEUM

A must-visit for art fans and historians, the spectacular Van Gogh Museum has been one of Amsterdam’s top attractions since it opened in 1972. Dedicated to the often troubled life and extraordinary artistry of one of the country’s most-revered painters, this modern Gerrit Rietveld-designed structure is home to the world’s largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and artifacts, much of it donated by his brother, Theo, and other family members.

RIJKSMUSEUM

One of Amsterdam’s most popular attractions – and certainly its most important art repository – the Rijksmuseum was founded in 1809 to house the country’s huge collection of rare art and antiquities. The museum’s impressive collection includes some seven million works of art, among them more than 5,000 important paintings spread across 250 rooms of this sprawling building.

The Anne Frank Museum

On the Prinsengracht, the Anne Frank Museum is dedicated to the all-too-short life of one of the world’s best-known Holocaust victims. In the actual home in which Anne’s family hid for much of WWII – they were Jewish refugees from the German city of Frankfurt – Anne wrote the diary that became an international bestseller after the war, just a few years after her death at age 15 (she died just two months before the war ended).

Buckingham Palace

One of Britain’s most iconic buildings, Buckingham Palace is also the scene of London’s most popular display of pomp and circumstance, the Changing of the Guard. Drawing crowds at 11:30am in every season, this colorful and free display of precision marching and music also takes place at St. James’s Palace where you can follow the band along The Mall as they march between sites.

TOWER OF LONDON

From prison to palace, treasure vault to the private zoo, the magnificent Tower of London has fulfilled many different roles down the centuries. One of Britain’s most iconic structures, this spectacular World Heritage Site offers hours of fascination for visitors curious about the country’s rich history – after all, so much of it happened here. Inside the massive White Tower, built in 1078 by William the Conqueror, is the 17th-century Line of Kings with its remarkable displays of royal armaments and armor.

Houses of Parliament

The tolling of Big Ben is known throughout the world as the time signal of BBC radio. Below it, stretching along the Thames, are the Houses of Parliament, seat of Britain’s government for many centuries and once the site of the royal Westminster Palace occupied by William the Conqueror. Tours of the parliament buildings offer a unique chance to see real-time debates and lively political discussions.

The Brandenburg Gate

Berlin’s most famous historic landmark is the Brandenburg Gate (Brandenburger Tor), once a symbol of a divided nation and now a symbol of unity and peace. This Neoclassical gate was commissioned by King Frederick Wilhelm II in 1788, and its design was inspired by the Propylaea in Athens’ Acropolis. The sandstone monument is 26 meters tall, standing in the Mitte district’s Pariser Platz, just a block from the Reichstag building. Visiting the Brandenburg Gate at night is a special treat, and undoubtedly one of the top free things to do in Berlin.

The Rebuilt Reichstag

The Reichstag (Reichstagsgebäude) was originally completed in 1894 where the Neo-Renaissance palace served as the home of the German Empire’s Imperial Diet until it burned in 1933. It was not used again until after the reunification of Germany, at which point it underwent a 10-year reconstruction and finally became the home of the German Parliament in 1999.

Museum Island

Sandwiched between the River Spree and the Kupfergraben in a 400-meter-long canal, Spree Island is better known as Museum Island (Museumsinsel), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you’ll find many of the city’s oldest and most important museums, including the Old Museum (Altes Museum), built in 1830 to house the Crown Jewels and other royal treasures.

Marienplatz

Marienplatz has been Munich’s central square since the city’s foundation; the site of medieval jousting tournaments; and until 1807, where markets were held. In addition to the massive Neues Rathaus (New City Hall) that fills one entire side of the square, you’ll find the Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) forming a gate at the far end. In the large open square are the Mariensäule, a tall column to the Virgin Mary erected in 1638, and the Fischbrunnen, a newer fountain that includes bronze figures rescued from an earlier 19th-century fountain.

Allianz Arena

The Allianz Arena, opened in 2005, was designed purely as a football stadium. The architecturally unique arena was constructed in under three years. Read on for comprehensive facts and figures about the state-of-the-art stadium in the heart of Europe. A referendum produced an overwhelming 65.8 percent majority in favour of the project and 34.2 percent against. The requirement for a quorum of 10 percent of all those entitled to vote was also met. The turnout of 37.5 percent was the highest ever for a referendum held in Bavaria.

Neuschwanstein castle

The Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most visited castles in Germany and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. The castle is located in Bavaria, near the town of Fussen. It was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, also known as the “Fairytale King”. See our Neuschwanstein Castle Tour page. King Ludwig was a great admirer and supporter of Richard Wagner, the world-renowned composer. Neuschwanstein Castle was built in his honor and many rooms in the castle’s interior were inspired by Wagner’s characters.